To be rich and almighty
by desiderea
Summary: There was still an option of doing what Daniel did when Sofia humiliated him but Betty didn’t dwell on this one very long. She was after all only an assistant. She couldn’t afford to stay in her room for two weeks and pretend to be in Brazil.DB
1. To be rich and almighty

**To be rich and almighty!**

_Henry was gone. Gone. Went to Tuscon. To his pregnant girlfriend. To his unborn child. Gone._

And Betty was left home heartbroken. At the airport actually. And her heart was not really broken. I mean, how can you break a heart? You would bleed to death wouldn't you now? If you could even break a heart since it is soft and slippery and…er… Never mind. I'm off track here…

So what does a man, or a woman in this case, do when one is heartbroken? Metaphorically of course.

_What did Hilda do when Santos left her alone with a baby?_

She got drunk. Well, this was an option but Betty preferred some less painful one.

_What did daddy do when mum died?_

He… got drunk too. The first and the last time Betty saw him drunk. But unlike to Hilda it did seem to help him.

_And what did Christina…? _

Oh, Christina just takes any excuse to get drunk! Not that Betty didn't love her anyway.

_And what did Daniel do when Sofia broke __his__ heart and left him for Hunter?_

Oh, that's right! He got so drunk Betty had to drag him out of the bar and let him sleep in her bed. And the next day she was doing his and her job while he threw up in four rooms of her house!

That sadly happened often. Not him being at her house but her doing his job!

When she first came to work at Mode she had great expectations. She expected to get important assignments and meet famous people but instead she became a babysitter to her own boss. When she started working for him he was new and even more inexperienced than she was. Before he became an editor 'n chief Daniel Meade hadn't worked a single day of his life. Betty was not much better with experiences. Except for that job in the cat hospital.

Yes, their beginning was rough but with time they became an inseparable team. They were friends and despite all his weak points she loved him and came running every time he got himself in trouble. And that was not seldom.

But let's face it she still does half of his job. Plus her own.

So alcohol seemed to be a unique medicine for all those people or at least they couldn't think about their broken hearts when their heads were trying to kill them.

Why couldn't it help Betty?

She had a nice little bar on her mind. The one Daniel liked so much. The music was depressing, the lights were soft and a nice considerate waiter even called one's friends if one got too drunk to get home himself. Not that Betty had any intention of doing that. She will just relax a little. Forget for a moment.

There was still an option of doing what Daniel did when Sofia humiliated him but Betty didn't dwell on this one very long. She was after all only an assistant. She couldn't afford to stay in her room for two weeks and pretend to be in Brazil. Or actually go to Brazil.

Oh to be rich and almighty!

* * *

Daniel was woken up by happy tune of his cell phone. The numbers on his digital clock told him it was nearing three in the morning.

_What the hell!_

He scowled in the dark and unwillingly got out of his warm bed that was surprisingly devoid of unknown females this night.

Daniel swore he will kill the caller if this is some prank of theirs. He hoped for their sake that their house was at least on fire or they'll never survive the night. Or day, actually. He had no wish to be awake longer than necessary. The killing rampage can wait till morning.

The caller ID surprised him. Betty. He immediately felt guilty about his traitorous mind.

_How many times was it she had to get up in the middle of the night for him?_

_But what could she possibly need at this time of night? She couldn't very well be drunk and in need of a ride could she? That was his thing to do._


	2. Johnny, the waiter

**Author's note:** this chapter is not really necessary but it is a chapter for my soul. Enjoy!

**Johnny, the waiter**

Johnny has been working as a waiter for almost three years now. It wasn't exactly his dream job but it brought some money.

He was actually thinking of becoming a writer. After three years behind the counter he had an uncountable amount of stories on his mind.

People seemed to take Johnny as their personal shrink after a few scotches. Some stories were pretty pathetic and the others were intriguing, mainly because people telling them were intriguing.

This Friday evening, when a woman in blue coat, orange glasses and wild hair stepped through the bar's door he knew he's going to hear one hell of a story and that will be just because this woman will make one totally pitiable story interesting.

He recognized the hesitant woman from before. Maybe a year or so back he called her to come pick up her inebriated boss.

Daniel Meade. Oh, yes that was one of the most interesting and amusing people Johnny ever met. Not because he was rich and famous and a well known womanizer but because he was desperately in love with his assistant and the poor sod didn't even realize it. He claimed to be drowning his sorrows in scotch because some woman named Sofia didn't want a family with him and she left with Hugo or something.

But all the time they were talking he mentioned this Sofia maybe twice while the famous Betty was in his every sentence.

_Betty this, Betty that. How without Betty he would have been unemployed, homeless and broke within a week at Mode. How he __isn't talented as his dead brother but Betty is. Betty has the best ideas. How he was never good enough for his father. How his mother is an alcoholic. How is no wonder Sofia doesn't want a family with him since his family is screwed up. How Betty's family is so warm and kind. How her boyfriend Wilbur isn't worth her since he cheated on her. How dare he do that to __his__ Betty? How __his__ Betty deserves the best. How this Henry from accounting is a jerk and is just going to hurt her. And oh Betty, The Goddess. _

So, after Daniel Meade started ordering "crotch socks" Johnny called this Betty and was very surprised when he actually saw her since he expected some leggy blonde with a heavenly shine all around her.

And now a year later there was still no shine. Not even the one coming from her braces. The braces were gone.

The expression on her face was the one he recognized. Defeated. Depressed. No sign of a happy girl. Despite all this Johnny knew this girl is too stubborn to stay defeated. She'll get back on the horse. She's a Queens girl. Johnny was from Queens too and knew a Queens girl when he saw one.

But for the time being, Betty needed a drink.

After a few drinks it turned out Betty is even more talkative than her boss and no less amusing.

She told Johnny how she left Walter (not Wilbur) for Henry but Henry got back with his previous girlfriend (what a prick) and then when Henry finally left his girlfriend, she showed up pregnant. And then Betty found out Charlie was cheating on Henry and the child was not necessarily his. And then Henry found out as well but they made a paternity test and the child was his. So, then Henry had four months before he had to go to his child in Tucson and he and Betty decided to make the best out of those four months. And Daniel told her she's stupid.

Johnny silently agreed with him although Betty didn't care what he thinks anymore since she wouldn't stop talking about Daniel once she started. It was as if she totally forgot all about Henry's existence.

* * *

"I really don't get it why he was so angry! Of course I was glad he cares but really… Not even Papi was so passionate about this… Well, maybe he was but he's my father! Daniel was just acting so weird! Confusing!" Betty was explaining seriously albeit with not so slight slur to the kind waiter whose name she forgot. Again. She didn't understand why she forgot everything this evening. Or why she had a feeling she already told this to the nice waiter.

_Maybe before he borrowed my cell phone and browsed through it?_

That could be it but Betty couldn't remember correctly so she told him everything again, just to be safe.

"But no matter how much he irks me I can't leave him! He's a good man you know? Of course he makes mistakes. And has no idea about fashion. And I do half of his job. And he calls me to his apartment to help him pick out his shirt. And makes terrible coffee… But that's why he has me! To make his shirts and pick out his coffee...!"

"Er… anyway… give me another of those sweet things! You know, the purple one!" The waiter nodded and glanced at his watch.

Betty got her drink and then she went on with her story that wasn't actually a story but a eulogy to Daniel Meade.

"As I was saying, Daniel just has a lot of insecurities. Like a child sometimes. It's not even his fault. His father is to blame. He was making him feel he's not good enough his whole life. Of course I can't talk too bad about Bradford since he's dead. And let me tell you a secret…"

Betty leaned across the counter, in process shoving empty glass and a bunch of napkins off the counter not even noticing it. The waiter stopped polishing the glass and leaned towards her, his face impassive.

"What's your name again?"

"Johnny."

"Yeah, that's right. Johnny. So, you know, few minutes after…I mean… before Mr Meade died I was in his hospital room. Daniel and Alexis went with their mother and I stayed alone with him. And there I was, feeling terribly awkward… His son is just my assistant after all… I mean I'm his assistant… His son's assistant… Yes that's right. And he goes and asks me or actually orders me to take care of his son! Daniel! "You're the only one who's ever been able to keep Daniel on his path! He'd be lost without you!" And then snap… there goes the straight line on the monitor! Like in some Mexican soap opera! The only thing missing is a priest! No wait! There was a priest! At the funeral! I'm pretty sure the maid is pregnant with him. Or maybe it's just Charlie…"

"So, you see?! I can't leave Daniel! His father was on the deathbed when he asked me to take care of him. I have to take care of him! At least till he learns to take care of himself… which will probably never happen!"

Betty sighed deeply. It's not as if she hated her job or hated taking care of Daniel. But it was a great burden. Keep Daniel on his path was not an easy job. But if she was honest with herself, at the end she would have probably stayed with him anyway. They were just inseparable.

"I did try to leave once after Mr Meade's death but he was haunting me! I couldn't sleep I couldn't eat I couldn't do anything. He was chasing me in my dreams! His head appeared in the fridge and on my computer screen and in the toilet. He was keeping my computer screen kitten hostage!! The guilt was eating me away!"

The nice waiter looked pretty panic stricken by then. Not that Betty noticed. She gave him one of her winning smiles.

"But then I came back… because of Daniel touching speech! It still makes me cry when I think of it!" she sniffled. "And then I could send Mr Meade on Hawaii!!!"

"Have I told you why I didn't want to come back to Mode?"

"Yes you did."

"Are you sure I did? I can't really remember if I told you that I started breaking into people's apartments, staling keys, hiding the fugitives, lying to Daniel! Do you know how hard that was?!" she wailed. "It was killing me from inside! Eating on my bones! Drinking my blood!!"

Her forehead hit the counter.

"Betty?"


	3. Leather or jeans

**Leather or jeans**

"Betty?" Daniel's voice was disbelieving. Just a half an hour ago he got this call from Betty's cell phone. The man's voice on the other side surprised him.

_Why is some strange man calling me from Betty's phone in the middle of the night?_

"Hallo? Is this Daniel Meade?"

"Yeees," Daniel answered slowly.

"I'm calling from Miss Betty Suarez's phone. Do you think you could pick her up from the bar on Union Square? I don't think she's able to find her house on her own!"

Daniel still couldn't quite grasp it.

_His Betty? Drunk?_

She was always scolding him that alcohol isn't a solution for his problems.

"Daniel…" she slurred, his name rolling off her tongue. He always liked how she said his name. He didn't know what made it so special. Maybe she subconsciously put some of the Latino accent in his name. But now that she was half lying across the counter she actually sounded… Scottish. Really, she reminded him of Christina. He could hardly understand her, either. He wondered if scotch made him sound Scottish too.

"You came!" she exclaimed.

_No kidding! _

Daniel glanced at the waiter who tried to look uninterested.

"I believe you called me? Thanks." The waiter nodded. "Come on, Betty! Let's go!"

"Hm? No, no. I can't! Come, have a drink Daniel! I was just telling J… J… him…"

"Johnny," he assisted her helpfully while Daniel had a strange urge to glare at the young man, Betty's age.

"Yes, yes. Johnny! I was just telling Johnny about our ugly pink tree!" Betty giggled. "But we still put mama's head on the top…! I mean, no! Mama's angel! That's what I meant! Not her head… I mean his head…" she leaned across the counter again. "You know whose head don't you Johnny."

The waiter's eyes got really big and Daniel couldn't blame him. Betty looked half mad. Not that he was afraid.

"His! His head was just in the fridge!" Oh, now Daniel was getting freaked out, too.

Betty was really much more pleasant sober despite the tendency to be too cheerful.

"Ooookay… Come now Betty! You can continue some other day!"

_Or preferably not!_

"Oh, yes… right. I don't feel so good anyway," Betty mumbled and proceeded to climb off the bar stool. Daniel threw some bills on the counter and helped Betty before she landed on her face.

"Easy!"

"Thanks, Daniel. I really needed you. J… J… Jamie was a great listener. He didn't object me once but he's not my friend. Be a nice friend, Daniel! Be nice to me! I'm an abandoned woman!" she exclaimed dramatically while Daniel helped her stumble out of the bar and to his sports car.

"What are you babbling about?"

"That's not being nice!" she accused him and slapped him on the chest. Or would if she didn't completely miss it.

"Ow," Daniel whined although her fingers hardly touched his arm.

"Oh, you poor baby," she cooed. "But what about me, Daniel? Henry left! He left!" she whined and than she suddenly forgot she's all sad and whiny. "If you say _I told you so_ I'm going to hit you for real! And remember I'm from Queens!"

So Daniel kept his mouth shut while buckling Betty's seatbelt as she obviously wouldn't remember to do such a thing in her state. And Daniel had bad experiences with seatbelts.

"Are you groping me, Daniel? Why are you groping me? You're not allowed to!" Daniel let go of her seatbelt immediately a bit wide eyed since he was not groping her. At all. Well, maybe he did come close.

_But I didn't feel anything. She has all those damn clothes on. It was impossible. If she would just take off that winter cloak… whoa there Daniel!_

Betty continued to babble.

"People will think I'm a slut! Like Amanda! I already kissed a guy today. It was a mere goodbye kiss but anyway… It was still a kiss! But not a snog… At least not a very good snog… Now that I think about it I wouldn't mind one nice little snog…" she told him seriously.

At this point Daniel lost control of the wheel for a moment and was lucky it was night and the road was relatively empty. Not that Betty noticed a thing. If anything then her world was finally right for that fleeting second. Well, maybe she heard some distanced squealing of the tires. Nothing that bothered her much. Daniel could just imagine the ruckus she would raise if this happened when she wasn't drunk.

"Hm? Did you say something Daniel?" Daniel breathed deeply.

_Just play it cool._

"No, no, nothing. Go on!"

"Oh, what was I saying anyway…?"

"Nothing…!! Important. Just… just…" Daniel was desperately looking around trying to find something to give him an idea. The first thing he saw was a sex-shop. Not a good topic. On the other side of a road was s biker in a leather jacket.

"Leather!" he blurted out.

"Wha? Leather? Naaaa… That's not really your style, Daniel. I mean, I'm sure your arse would be a sight for sore eyes in some tight leather pants…" She trailed off playing with the image in her head.

Daniel gripped the wheel tightly, praying she'll pass out soon.

"But really, you don't need leather. You look great now. Is that jeans?" Betty couldn't be sure since it was dark and her eyesight was pretty bad so she grabbed Daniel's leg. A bit too high for his comfort.

"Betty!" he yelled.

"Definitely jeans."

"Will you please remove your hand from my pants!?"

_God, that sounded dirty!_

Betty looked at him with her big innocent eyes.

"Daniel? What's wrong?"

"Please? Your hand? I'm driving!"

"All righty!" she slurred and rolled her unfocused eyes to the window.

Daniel sighed relived and tried to calm down taking deep breaths. It wouldn't do after all to stop the car and have his way with his insane assistant on the back seat of the car.

_That would be sexual assault. She doesn't know what she's doing. It would be practically rape!_

_No, no, she can't be drunk when we… What the hell am I thinking?_

_I don't think about her like that! She's my assistant! I don't want to do anything with her!_

_Granted I tend to glance at her arse when she bends to pick up the folders that fell of the table but it's not as if I throw them off on purpose just so I can see her bend. I swear it's not! _

_Well, at least not more than once a day!_

_Anyway, that's beside the point! The point is I look at every woman's arse. Every woman that's not my mum that is. Or aunt Fanny. She doesn't live in civilisation. _

_And sometimes when she talks and I don't really listen I just stare at her lips. Betty's lips that is. Not aunt Fanny's. Yuck. _

_She just has these sweet pouty lips. Her Latino heritage I assume. I can't help it if I'm fascinated. It doesn't mean anything. It certainly doesn't mean I want to fuck her. She's too sweet for me to think something like that about her._

Betty couldn't stay quiet anymore. Not when her stomach was turning around.

"Daniel?"

"Hm?"

"I… I'm gonna be sick…" Daniel glanced at her greenish face panic stricken.

"No, no, no, no! Not now! We're almost home!"

"Yes, yes! Now! Let me out!" Betty tried desperately to open the door but it was no use. "STOP THE CAR!"!

Daniel put his foot on the break so hard that the tires were squealing for the second time in a few minutes. Daniel ran around the car and opened the door for Betty who managed to unbuckle the belt with a lot a trouble. She stumbled out of the car and fell on the probably only two meters of lawn in an area of a few kilometres.

Betty was on her knees puking violently. Daniel, green faced and wide eyed was trying to be supportive without going to close. If it was anybody else he'd have escaped long ago. But this was Betty! Betty who has been saving his job, his family and his heart for two years now and who brought him to her house and gave him her bed when he was practically comatose. He couldn't leave his Betty.

"Oh, my God! I think this is because of those scotches. I'm never drinking scotch again!"

"That's what I always say," Daniel muttered and offered her a handkerchief which she didn't know what to do with and helped her on her feet.

"Come on, Betty! We're almost home." Betty looked around and although her eyes were unfocused she still noticed something is off.

"Home? My home is not here. This is where those rich snobbish people live…"

"Yes, this is where I live and we're going to my rich snobbish apartment."

"Oh, okay."


	4. Daniel’s date with

**Author's note:** You know when you come home from school sometimes all cranky and tired and PMS-ing and just wanting to kill somebody? Yeah, that's how I felt the other day! But then I come up here and you people put me in a state of euphoria with your reviews! So thank you all! The inspiration just hit me after that. I was basically watching my hand scribble down word after word!

**Daniel's date with…**

Frank was a simple man from Bronx, working as a security guard at one of those snobbish rich buildings where one whole floor belonged to Daniel Meade.

Frank knew Daniel Meade personally, seeing him lead girl after girl to his apartment through the garage door where Frank's work place was.

The night was relatively peaceful for Frank till around three in the morning when he usually took his nap. Hurried steps made him open his eyes and hurried Daniel Meade made him sit up straight.

_Isn't this when he usually comes home with a girl draped over his arm instead of rushing through the door like that bitch Slater is at his heels_?

Frank couldn't sleep after that.

_What made a famous playboy get up in the middle of the night?_

He got his answer nearly an hour later. A girl. Of course it was a girl. He should have known!

But that was not just any girl. That was definitely not Daniel's usual type. He would know.

_Well, maybe it was time he accommodated his taste a bit. The girl certainly looks more human despite her inhumanly wild hair._

The weird thing was that Daniel was practically dragging her with him. He didn't know Daniel Meade to go to that much trouble to get a girl into his bed.

"Good morning, Mr Meade!" he said cheerfully.

"Morning," he mumbled which made the lady snap her eyes open.

"G'morning," she slurred smiling and leaning heavily on Daniel.

"Your… new girlfriend, Mr Meade?" Frank just couldn't help himself. The girl giggled. Not that annoying high-pitched giggle but a drunken giggle, Frank realised.

"No, no. That's just my assistant Betty."

"Oh."

"Betty, this is Frank."

She stuck out her hand. A bit of course so Frank had to twist his own hand.

"Hi, and I'm drunk."

_Oh, really?_

Daniel rolled his eyes.

"Oops! I mean, I'm Betty. Suarez. Daniel is my… No. I'm his assistant."

"Frank. The security guard."

"Frank," she repeated thoughtfully. "Daniel, what was that waiter's name again? Jamie?" Daniel sighed.

"Johnny."

"That's right. Johnny. And Frank. Frankie. Like Johnny and Frankie from that movie Johnny and Frankie. Or Frankie and Johnny, I can't remember. You know the movie, right? The one with Al Pacino? " she explained excited.

_Of course I know the bloody movie!_

"But you're not Al. You're Michelle Pfeiffer!"

"Oh well, at least she's hot."

"You could get a sex change," she told him seriously. "Maybe Alexis could give you some pointers, what do you think Daniel?"

"I think… you're hallucinating," Daniel muttered. Betty seemed disappointed so Frank decided to calm her down.

"Oh, never mind. I don't have money for sex-change anyway. I can't even afford a few days at the beach." Betty nodded sadly.

"I know what you mean. I wanted to disappear in Brazil because my boyfriend, ex now, left to Tucson to his pregnant ex-girlfriend, you know. But I don't even have for a plane ticket… Say, are you single?"

"Betty!"

"What?"

"That's enough! Stop flirting and let's go!"

"But I was just asking, Daniel!"

"Come on!"

"Just a second!" she protested and uncertainly took a step away from Daniel and towards Frank who was ready to catch her if a need arose.

Betty gave Frank a blinding smile and winked.

"We'll talk tomorrow," she said conspiratorially and gave him a peck on the cheek. At this Daniel dragged her away towards the elevator.

Frank could hear her complaining in the distance.

"But Daniel! I still haven't gotten my snog!"

Frank swore he could hear Daniel's growl and chuckled to himself.

_Maybe she's really just your assistant, Daniel but you want her to be more! _

* * *

Daniel didn't know how much more he could handle. Betty was uncontrollable. He just hoped they don't come across more men.

Well, instead they came across old Mrs Smith in the elevator.

_What's the old granny doing up at the four in the morning? Probably a case of insomnia._

"Mrs Smith," he nodded politely.

"Daniel. And the company," she said pointedly.

Betty stuck out her hand much in the same manner as with Frank.

"Hi! I'm Betty Suarez and…"

_Please don't __say "and I'm drunk"! Please! _

"…and I haven't got a snog today yet!"

_Why the hell didn't you say "and I'm drunk"?_

Daniel wanted to smack himself unconscious. Or her. It didn't really matter.

The old granny giggled.

"I'm sure Daniel will take care of your problem."

_Perverted old coot! But she's got some good ideas__… that I'm not allowed to think about._

"Daniel?" Betty asked confused. Mrs Smith nodded in his direction. Betty turned to look at him.

"Ooooh, Daniel! Well he's not that bad I guess."

_Thanks!_

"That's right honey! You have to tease your boyfriend sometimes. It keeps a relationship interesting." She winked at Betty who might have been confused about what did the old lady mean with a boyfriend since Henry (who is by the way her ex-boyfriend!!!) was in Tucson. But generally Betty ignored her as she was in her own world.

"He's nice and charming and handsome and rich and famous and has really nice eyes and an even nicer arse…" Daniel just stood there blinking with a deer caught in highlights expression when she unexpectedly slapped his arse proving the point. What he really wanted to do was to run to another country. Or at least to his bathroom.

The old granny giggled like mad, which annoyed Daniel exceedingly and Betty was not really helping what with staring at him like she wanted to eat him.

"Finally a nice girl, Daniel. She's the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

"I'm sure," he forced himself to say and then pushed Betty out of the elevator.

"Bye!"

"Bye, Betty!"

Daniel finally breathed in relief when the elevator doors closed. But not for long. He unlocked the door to his apartment and caught Betty around the waist when she stumbled. He regretted the action right away since Betty was now in his arms, very close to him.

Not just was she innocently staring at his eyes, she was pressed up so close to him he could feel her curves through all the clothes. Daniel's imagination was running wild. And then her delicious lips curled into a sly smile and her eyes got this _up to no good_ twinkle that made Daniel terrified for his life.

"Betty…"

"So, how about that snog then?"

"I don't think that's a good… mmph…" And then her lips were on his. Her kiss was not like any other he ever got. It was just so… Betty-ish.

Daniel was a good man and didn't want to use his drunken assistant but she was practically throwing herself at him and he was no saint. He couldn't not return the kiss. He knew he shouldn't but he had no control of his body. Not even her breath of vomit and alcohol could stop him. He pushed her against the wall and could hear something falling and feel something move behind Betty's back but didn't really care if the world was coming to an end since his hands were moving under her coat on its own accord and his lips were suddenly on her neck. His instincts were leading them both to the bedroom. He knew the way pretty well.

_That's enough now Daniel! Stop pushing your tongue down her throat! You had enough action for tonight! If you want something more your right hand is waiting for you! Under a cold shower. Ice cold!_

This thought finally kicked some sense into his mind.

"Betty, this isn't good…" Betty just smiled deliriously, her eyes half closed.

"Really, Daniel you're wrong. This is very good. Who would have thought all those women calling you forgot your pants there are actually good for something. Maybe I should start doing that too. Get some practice," she mumbled.

"NO! I mean, you don't need any practice at all," Daniel assured her quickly.

_At least not with anybody else_.

"Oh, good then," she yawned. "I'm going to Brazil now," she announced before passing out. At last.

Daniel caught her and dragged her to his bedroom where he put her on his bed, threw off her shoes and tried to put off her coat without having dirty thoughts. Unsuccessfully of course. He covered her with a blanket and went to his date with his hand.


	5. A hickey or an allergy

**A hickey or an allergy?**

Betty wondered when she managed to get driven over by a train because that's exactly how she felt. She was all stiff, her mouth dry like a pepper and her head pounding painfully. She didn't want to move a pinkie.

Unfortunately for her the sun rays were dangerously near her eyes.

_When I grow up I'll be God and will turn the sun off! Well, then I could also make my head not throb… and I could get myself a nice boyfriend and… Can God even have a boyfriend?_

But since Betty was not God… yet she had to just get away from the light. Tricky!

She rolled her body on the side and finally took notice of her surroundings. She might have panicked if not for the familiar painted wall of Daniel's bedroom.

_What the hell? How did I get here?_

The last thing Betty remembered clearly was ordering her third scotch.

_Oh, God! I didn't fall under a train! I got drunk! What was I thinking!?_

She would have smacked her head if it didn't hurt like hell anyway.

She thought she could remember talking to Daniel about something and she could clearly remember throwing up. Not where or when but throwing up definitely.

She just wanted to hide under her bed. Daniel's bed.

In her mind she could see an old lady opening her mouth but Betty couldn't hear her words. And then Daniel…

She sat up suddenly which didn't go well with her stomach. She looked around the room panicked but Daniel was nowhere in sight and she was dressed.

_Calm down, Betty! It was just a dream. Your over-active imagination._

Her stomach churned again and she ran to the bathroom and threw herself onto the toilet.

_Kill me now!_

* * *

Daniel woke up on the couch by a sound of retching. He grimaced and sat up stretching his neck and shoulders. He stood up slowly, his muscles protesting painfully and walked to his bathroom fearing what he'll find there. He was nervous about what will Betty remember from night before and how she'll react.

The door to the bathroom was open so Daniel peeked inside. He gulped when he saw Betty hugging the toilet.

"Betty?" he called her concerned. She grumbled something Daniel didn't even try to decipher. He moved closer to her, put his arms around her from behind _(Not feeling her up! Not at all_!) and hailed her up. She swayed a little but was mostly stable.

"How do you feel, Betty?"

_Like crap._

"Fine," she hissed. She flushed the water, put the toilet down and sat on it. Everything in a slow motion, trying not to upset her stomach or make her head pound even more.

"Head," she said.

"Head?" Betty nodded.

"Head. Hurts."

"Right! Wait here!" Daniel ordered and disappeared.

_No__, I'm going to drown myself in a toilet._

Daniel came back with two aspirins, a glass of water and bunch of clothes. Betty greedily took the aspirins and drank the water but looked questionably at the clothes,

"I thought you'd like to take a shower and put on fresh clothes."

She really looked at him for the first time that morning, his baby blues bringing back a colourful flashback.

_No Betty! It was just a dream! Just a dream! It didn't happen! Did it?_

"NO!"

"No?"

"No… I mean… Yes! I do want to take a shower. I just need to errr… call dad."

"Don't worry!" Daniel smiled at her. "I already called Hilda yesterday. Or actually it was today. She wasn't very happy being awoken at four in the morning."

"Oh, God!" Betty moaned and put her head in her hands. "What did you tell her?"

"Sorry, Betty. I tried to convince her we were working late but apparently I'm as bad of a liar as you are. She didn't buy a thing I told her."

"She'll never let me forget this! Do you know how many times I mocked her when she was hangover?"

"Well… ehem… I'll just let you take that shower. Call me if you need anything!"

"O, yes. And I'll be sure to wait for your rescue _naked_," she muttered sarcastically at the closed door.

* * *

Daniel didn't know what to think about Betty's reaction. She hasn't said anything about previous night and she usually takes direct approach with delicate matters. However, she was a bit strange. Of course, it was probably due to the immense hangover. He couldn't be sure.

_Ow! How the hell did that get here?_

He frowned at the mess in the hall. He had just hit his foot on the overturned chair. The old newspapers were knocked of the small table all around the hall. The picture on the wall was hanging sideways and the pot plant (that Betty brought to his apartment God knows when) was lying on the floor with soil scattered all around.

_What happened here? A break-in? It must have been a break-in because I and Betty couldn't have done this! I would remember this. I wasn't drunk. I can clearly remember it was just one innocent kiss! Right__…?_

_Christ! I have to clean this up! Now! Before Betty sees it!_

Daniel was half-way through cleaning his apartment (for the first time in his life) when the doorbell rang.

He cursed and went to open the door with every intention to kick out whoever it was.

"Hello, Daniel!"

Claire Meade, the only person he couldn't kick out, especially since she already pushed pass him into his apartment.

"Hi, mum! What are you doing here?"

"Does a mother need a reason to visit her youngest son? Only son?"

"No but you always have one." Claire tried to stare him down but when he just raised his eyebrow she gave in.

"Fine! I was bored!" she admitted dryly.

"And you decided to come here?"

"Yes! Is this the wrong time? Do you have company? Am I interrupting something?" Claire asked eyeing her son's dirty hands and the picture still hanging at a strange angle.

"No, no! It's fine, mum. I'm just… cleaning!" he answered shifting the picture.

"Since when do you clean?"

"Since it's dirty."

"You have a cleaning lady, Daniel!"

"She's not here now, is it?"

"And why do you need her right away?"

"It's dirty now!"

"You were never bothered by dirt before!"

"Well, I am now! What's with the third degree anyway?"

* * *

Betty was not happy. Not at all. Besides all the usual hang-over signs she now discovered an unusual mark on her neck that highly resembled a hickey. But it couldn't possibly be a hickey! She knew Henry didn't come near her neck and she did not have a passionate encounter with any other man. Especially not Daniel! Her boss Daniel! She knew she didn't. Her gut feeling was telling her she didn't! Of course she was telling her gut what to tell her but anyway…

_It's not a hickey! It's just some allergy on… scotch! Never heard of one before but it could happen! Right? I should ask Christina. And I should put something around my neck because one could think it is a hickey. Although it isn't. _

Betty put on the too big sweat pants and T-shirt Daniel borrowed her and went to his bedroom where she also put on one of his warm sweaters. It was strange she was cold but still sweating.

She found Daniel's scarf on the hanger in the hall. She looked curiously at the pot plant.

_That's not where I left Lulu! And it looks kind of… ruffled._

"Daniel!"

Daniel and Claire both looked towards the door when Betty barged into the kitchen, clad in Daniel's clothes, socks and scarf.

"What did you do with Lulu?"

Daniel's eyes were as big as saucers. Of all the clothes he ever saw on her! She looked like a doll. An adorable doll that same kid undressed threw in the bathtub and then dressed in their own too large clothes. And she was talking nonsense.

"Lulu?"

"My pot plant!"

"You named a pot plant Lulu?"

"Yes! And now she's injured!"

"I'm sorry. It… sorry… _she_ got _injured_ when… "

…_we were intertwined in a passionate snog._

"…I bought a new couch!" Daniel said smugly proud of his own clever explanation. Betty glanced back at the living room.

"You don't have a new couch."

_No, I don't. _

"Of course I have!"

"It looks the same to me," she shrugged.

_It is._

"It does but it's new."

"If it's the same then why did you buy a new one?"

_I didn't._

Daniel was running out of excuses so Claire although entertained for the first time in months decided to help her son and make herself noticed. She could tell Betty is pushing him in the corner.

"Hi, Betty."

"Mrs Meade!" she exclaimed startled. "I didn't even see you there!"

"Yes, that's obvious. By the way; nice outfit," she commented amused. Betty looked down and then at Daniel and at the apartment and then her horrified eyes landed on Claire again.

"It's not what it looks like! It really isn't! I just… I just…" Claire continued to look amused and sceptical and Daniel didn't say a word.

"Damn! This is what they always say in the movies and nobody believes them. I'm always thinking: _Why don't you just shut up! You look even guiltier! _And now I'm doing the same thing! I'm rambling. I sound guilty," Betty finished defeated.

"Yes you do," Claire nodded.

"But I'm not!" Betty wailed. "We weren't doing anything… anything… inappropriate! Daniel just picked me up from a bar… I assume?" she frowned as she couldn't remember this. Daniel nodded. "Yes and he put me into his bed. Alone. Without him. Fuck! I'm just getting myself in a bigger mess! Would you just say something, Daniel?"

Daniel did confirm her words but Claire noticed the reluctance in his words and combined with Lulu and the picture… She pieced together there is something more behind all this. Something Betty doesn't remember or is in denial.

"Okay, okay. I believe you. So you have a hang-over, hm?"

"Yeah. My head hurts like hell!" Daniel and Claire both winced.

"I know how you feel, my dear. But maybe you should stop cursing. I think you're freaking my son out." And she was making Daniel nervous. She never cursed.

Betty blushed.

"Sorry."

"That's okay, Betty. Do you want some coffee?" Daniel offered.

"Yeah, sure. I'll go make it."

"No, no. You just sit and relax. I'll do it."

"No Daniel. I already caused enough trouble."

"Really, Betty. You're a guest." Betty snorted.

"If you have any coffee in this kitchen it's here because I brought it!"

"That's… probably true. But I can make it."

"I'd rather you didn't."

"What's wrong with my coffee?" Betty looked at Claire hoping for some help but Claire was just thinking she never had such a great time in opera. Actually she hated opera.

"Daniel," Betty sighed. "If I let you make this coffee then it's a great possibility we'll be calling a fire brigade in five minutes. And if by any chance this doesn't happen I'll be throwing up again because… I'm sorry to disappoint you… but your coffee is… bad. And I'm being nice when saying _bad_."

"What? But… Mum!" he complained.

"She's got a point, Daniel."

"But… But when I once made you coffee you said it was delicious."

"You were nine and obsessed with making me the best cup of coffee I ever drank. What was I supposed to say?" Claire patted his head when he slumped into a chair leaving Betty make the coffee.

"Coffee, Mrs Meade?"

"Oh you know me, Betty. Just vodka and ice." Betty and Daniel both rolled their eyes.

"I'll just bring you coffee." Betty ignored her and Claire Meade doesn't get ignored.

_Fine! And I was nice to you!_

"Why are you wearing scarf, Betty?" Claire asked sweetly. Daniel looked up in interest. Betty froze.

"What?" she squeaked.

"The scarf, Betty?" Daniel repeated.

_I have a nasty hickey on my neck__... which is not actually a hickey._

"Oh. Just an allergy," she explained not looking up from coffee.

"On what exactly?" Claire asked.

"Scotch."

"Scotch?"

"Scotch," she confirmed.

"I never had any scotch allergies."

"Well, you're not me are you?"

"Are you okay, Betty?" Daniel rushed to her side.

"I'm fine."

"Let me see your neck!"

"NO! No, that's not necessary. Don't want you to catch something."

"You just said it's an allergy."

"Yeah, well it could be something else."

"Then you have to go to the doctor."

"No, I'm fine. Can we just drink this coffee and then call a taxi so I can go home," Betty sighed tiredly. Lying to someone, especially if that someone was her boss, was exhausting.

"But…"

"Look, if it doesn't disappear in few days I'll go to the doctor, okay?"

"Fine. But I'm going to take you home. No need to call a taxi."

Claire Meade leaned back in the chair contented with the latest development. Despite the fact she didn't get her vodka.

_My son is in love. I should probably have seen it before. Seen how his eyes sparkle when he sees her, how his vo__ice brightens when he talks to her, how he's more worried about her health he ever was about my._

_Oh Bradford, you did something right for your son. You found him a woman. And to think I was afraid some day he'll bring home a clueless airhead and have air headed brats with her!_

_No, this will never happen! This Latino spitfire is going to be my daughter in law one day and if I have to give up my vodkas!_


	6. Sunday, bloody Sunday

**Author's note:** Another pointless chapter that I just couldn't resist! Sue me!

**Sunday, bloody Sunday**

Betty had a relatively peaceful Sunday. Well, if you didn't count all the mocking smirks Hilda was sending her way. And Justin's awed looks. And her dad shaking his head disbelievingly every time he passed her.

She thought they had had enough the previous day when everybody was more interested into why is she wearing Daniel's clothes rather than why she got sloshed. Apparently nobody thought Henry is worth grieving over. They all seemed to be happy to finally get rid of him. Daniel the most. Not that he said anything but Betty just had this feeling. The others weren't that quiet.

"I know you're sad, mija but it's for the best. He's got a pregnant girlfriend and I'm sure you're going to find some nicer boy who doesn't have a pregnant girlfriend. Just last time I talked to Mrs Lopez. She's got a son your age…"

"Oh, Aunt Betty! He's an accountant! How boring is that! And no sense of fashion whatsoever!"

"That's right, Betty! And he wasn't even really that hot! I know of some waaaaay hotter men on higher, much higher positions that you have wrapped around your little finger!"

Betty couldn't be sure but she had a distanced feeling Hilda coughed_editor in chief_ somewhere in this sentence. She ignored her.

And that was all Betty heard of Henry. She was sure that now comes the comforting and bringing her ice-cream time but instead it was the interrogation time. About the clothes, what was she doing, where was she doing, why does she wear scarf, everything!

Betty got to bed early, very tired but woke up refreshed and as I had said before, had a peaceful Sunday.

That is, until they all sat down to an early dinner and Hilda and Ignacio decided to point it out to Betty that Daniel is obsessed with her.

"What are you two talking about? He's not obsessed with me!"

"Yes, he is Betty! He relies upon you for everything!" Hilda insisted.

"I'm his assistant!"

"So, as his assistant you… teach him how to dance salsa over the phone?" Ignacio asked.

"I do that as his friend."

"Betty, he's too attached to you! What'll happen to him if you leave one day?"

Betty's heart made a painful thud when she thought about not seeing Daniel for longer than a weekend.

_Stop that Betty!_

"Where would I go dad?"

"I don't know! What if you get married and move to Uzbekistan?"

"Well, I'll just find him a new assistant."

_Which I'm sure will never be as efficient as I am!_

"Besides, he lived just fine until he met me, too. Why would his life be any different if I left? What could possibly happen to him?"

"Don't say this Aunt Betty! It's cursed! Remember when you left Mode and then you said: _They don't need me. They've been putting out that magazine forever! What could possibly go wrong?_ And what happened then, hm? The entire issue d-i-e-d!"

"That's because Wilhelmina k-i-l-l-e-d it!"

Ignacio sighed.

"Although you find him a new assistant it won't be the same, mija. He'll be lost without you!"

_Again with this __lost__ thing. First Mr Meade and now dad._

"He'll get used of it! Have a little faith in him, papi!"

"Betty, he calls you every day!"

"He hasn't called me today."

Before the words were out of her mouth completely, everybody froze at the ringing of Betty's phone, somewhere in living room. Betty sighed.

_So much for my theory! What do you need me to do now, Daniel? Find you a date? Write an editor's letter__ for you? Change an electric bulb? Sing you a lullaby? Tie your shoes? _

_Maybe Hilda and dad are right. _

"It could be Christina," Betty said without much hope.

"Hello."

"Hello, Betty!" Daniel said a little too enthusiastically.

_Daniel had a very productive day. Really. He was restraining himself to call Betty as long as he could._

_He woke up late. He watched movies. He made himself a coffee. And it wasn't nearly as horrible as Betty and his mum made it out to be. _

_He called his mother as he promised her. He even called Alexis. That one went well._

"_What's wrong Danny?"_

"_Nothing."_

"_Then why are you calling me?"_

"_Well, you know. Just staying in touch. What if you go all dead on me again?"_

_Silence._

"_Alexis?"_

"_Are you taking drugs again?"_

_He then watched the view from his window. Took a nap. Watered Lulu. Talked to Lulu. Watched TV some more. And the view. And snuck glances at his cell phone. _

_He was beginning to wonder if he really has no life besides work and Betty. Of course he could go out with some girl or other. Or go for a drink with Becks, but he wasn't really in the mood._

_And then he got this brilliant idea that needed Betty's assistance._

"Daniel. What are you up to?" she asked suspiciously.

"Why would you think I'm up to something?" His voice was still cheerful.

"You're using that fake cheery voice just screaming: _Betty I'm in trouble!_ So what is it? Any angry girls you stood up chasing after you?"

Daniel laughed.

"No, no. Nothing life threatening. I just…"

"Yeeees?"

"Could you tell me how to make pancakes?" Betty didn't think she heard him right.

_Daniel? Cooking? Impossible! He can't even find food in his fridge!__ And he said nothing life threatening!_

"Excuse me?" Her voice was so devoid of any emotion Hilda, Justin and Ignacio thought somebody died.

"Pancakes?" he repeated nervously.

"Daniel, there are restaurant's phone numbers on your fridge. Order take-away like you always do," she told him calmly.

"No! I want pancakes!" Betty could hear beginnings of a stubborn fit coming up.

"I'm sure they'll bring you pancakes for a generous tip."

"I want to make them!"

"Daniel," she sighed.

"Come on, Betty. Just help me make them," he begged.

"Is this because of what I said about your coffee? Because Daniel, it really isn't such a tragedy! Lots of people don't know how to make good coffee."

"It isn't," he said stubbornly.

"Do you have a girl over? Do you want to impress her? I really think it would be better if you just took her out for dinner! Or maybe skip the dinner like usually." She mumbled the last part.

_Please say you don't have a girl over!_

"I don't have a girl here," he gritted out.

"YES!!!"

_Shit! I'm not supposed to be happy!_

"Betty?"

_Oh, I'm just happy you don't have a girl there. I would be insanely jealous! _

_Is that what I'm supposed to say?_

_Wait! Why am I even jealous?_

"Er… We're just watching football, you know." Her family looked at her as if she had suddenly spurted three heads. "And my team just scored a… a…"

"Touchdown," Ignacio mouthed.

"Yes, a touchdown!" she almost yelled.

"Oh, I didn't know you watch football!"

_I don't!_

"Yes, well… There are things you don't know about me." Justin and Ignacio both _humphed_ at this while Hilda raised her eyebrows disbelievingly.

"Yes… Of course… So, the pancakes?" Betty grimaced. She hoped he had forgotten about that.

"Wouldn't you rather go out with some pretty model? I could even arrange you a date if you want…"

"No!" She sighed defeated.

"Fine. Do you have the ingredients?"

"Um… I have chocolate and marmalade… and cheese."

"Cheese?"

"Don't you need cheese for pancakes?" Betty rolled her eyes in frustration.

"No. Now listen! There is flour in the cupboard above the sink and eggs in the fridge…"

"What's going on, mija?"

"He's making pancakes."

"Making?"

"Yes!"

"Ay, this is not going to end well. Spoiled rich boys plus cooking equals DISASTER."

"It's Daniel. Make it double."

"What? Did you say anything?"

_You're going to die!_

"Nothing. Now the sugar is…"

_Half an hour later:_

"Daniel?! What just happened over there? Daniel!!! What was that noise? Daniel!!!!!! Hilda call 911! DANIEL!!!"

"What?"

"Oh, thank God! You're alive!"

"Of course I'm alive! Why wouldn't I be?" His voice was high-pitched and nervous so Betty knew he's lying.

"Daniel. What happened?"

"Should I call 911 or not?" Hilda. Betty signalled her to wait a minute.

"Nothing."

"I know you can't see me right now but I'm giving you one of my disbelieving looks." Betty heard him sigh.

"I'm fine Betty. And the kitchen is fine, too. Just the cupboard above the range is a bit singed," he said sheepishly. Betty sighed in relief.

"Great. It's okay, Hilda. Put the phone down. Now, Daniel, could you do me favour? Please stop cooking," she begged him.

"But…"

"Look! Dad is making the pancakes tomorrow. He invited you over. Just stop now!" Ignacio looked at his youngest daughter surprised, questioningly pointing a finger at his chest. Betty nodded vigorously.

"He did?"

"Of course! Just go to sleep now or something!"

_You can't get in trouble while you're sleeping! Or maybe you can! Who knows?!_

"Okay then!" he said enthusiastically. "I'll see you tomorrow! And thanks for your help, Betty."

Betty couldn't help but smile. He was such a child sometimes.

"You're welcome. Night!"

"Good night!"

"So I'm making pancakes tomorrow?"

"What was I supposed to do, papi? He was having one of his _Daniel moments_ when he does all sorts of stupid things! I needed to put a stop to this cooking thing."

Betty was truly exhausted. This conversation wore her out. She just hoped the next day will be less stressful.

_Very unlikely! It's Mode!_

And she was proven right even before she reached Mode. Waiting for an elevator next to her in an extravagant lobby was just the person she didn't need to see. Ever again!

**Author's note:** Want to know who Betty meets? Can you guess who it is? Maybe luck is on your side! I promise to mention the names of all who guessed the identity of the mysterious person in my note in the next chapter! I know you want it! Come on! Play with me! I swear the next chapter will be good!


	7. A cat named Sonny

**Author's note: **Hello, my precious readers and thank you for your wonderful reviews! A special thanks to all those who played that little game with me last time. The names of those who guessed the identity of a person that Betty met are at the bottom of this chapter as to not spoil your reading.

**A cat named Sonny**

Betty couldn't believe her luck.

_Not her! Just not her! Why do you hate me God?_

There, in front of the elevator in all her Latino beauty stood Sofia Reyes. The exact same woman whose eyes Betty wanted to dig out. The woman whose neck she wanted to wriggle. The woman she wanted to feed to a pack of hungry lions.

But as Betty was not a violent person she decided that the best course of action is to ignore the tall woman standing next to her.

"Betty. Still working here I see."

_Me? How dare __you__ show your face at Meade, you dirty, conceited, two-faced…?_

"At Mode, I assume. Running around, doing Daniel's job? And arranging his dates?"

_Shut up about Daniel or you'll regret it, you snobbish hypocrite!_

"You really deserve better than to work for an incompetent buffoon, Betty!"

_That does it!_

"At least I'm not working for a manipulative bitch!" Betty hissed unable to keep quiet any long.

"Oh, come on Betty! You know he deserved it!" Betty finally whirled around to face her.

"Deserved it? And what did he ever do to you, hm? He dared to fall in love with you? Was that it? Was that a terrible crime he did?" Betty's voice was getting shrill and people were starting to glance their way.

"Oh, please Betty! He was never in love with me! And anyways, he deserved to be punished for hurting and humiliating so many women!"

"That's rich! All those women knew what are they getting into and the only one who humiliated anyone is you! And you did it because you're a cold-hearted frigid bitch!"

There was a gasp all around the audience they attracted but none of them noticed. People, smelling blood, were starting to get their cell phones with cameras out.

"I'm a bitch? And Daniel is what? A perfect man, helping old ladies across the road? Snap out of it Betty! He's a little rich playboy who got everything handed out on a silver platter! And he wouldn't even know what to do with it if it wasn't for you!"

Betty gritted her teeth. She was seeing red.

_How dare she after what she did to him?_

"Daniel made a lot of mistakes but he would never ever hurt anybody on purpose!"

"That's because he's incompetent of doing anything on his own!"

"Watch what you are saying about Daniel!" Betty hissed menacingly.

"Why are you always protecting him?" Sofia gasped over-dramatically. "Are you sleeping with him Betty? Don't tell me you let him trick you into his bed?"

"Everybody knows I am just his assistant. But why do you care anyway? Are you jealous? Did you get tired of your boyfriend Hunter? By the way, is he still working as a striper? I guess it is a fair job for someone whose brain isn't bigger than a pea." Betty tapped her chin with one finger thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, it would be a perfect job for you too. Big arse and no brain."

"Are you saying I'm stupid? And that I have a big arse?"

"Hmmm… that's exactly what I'm saying."

"You should look yourself in the mirror you fat cow!"

Betty realised she was getting under her skin and she enjoyed it exceedingly. She never saw Sofia get so upset.

"At least my soul isn't black! I'm actually glad you didn't marry Daniel! He deserves a better woman in his life!"

"Oh please! His mother is a bloody criminal who got away with a murder just because she's rich!"

"Take-that-back!"

Sofia smirked.

"Or what?"

"Or I'll make sure you will never be able to open that big mouth of yours! Do remember I'm from Queens!"

"Please, Betty. We both know you won't do anything. You're too self-righteous. Too prim and proper. And too loyal to Daniel. That's exactly why you won't come anywhere in life!" she snarled and turned around to go into the elevator.

But something in Betty snapped. She had enough of this. She may be able to handle Amanda and Marc's insults but they are Frenemies while this woman is a bitter slag who thinks she can walk all over her.

_Not a chance in hell! I've been threatening with this _I'm from Queens_ for too long now. It's time to act on it. _

She could hear a dramatic Mexican music from soap opera in her ears.

* * *

Christina was watching the scene unfold in front of her eyes, contemplating if she should interfere. But then, when a time came for her to interfere she just continued to watch with a spoon hanging out of her mouth.

She saw her friend Betty with a furious expression on her face take a step after Sofia Reyes and grab a tuft of her hair. She pulled her back roughly and Sofia stumbled back screeching.

"What are you doing?!"

"Nobody messes with Betty Suarez and her friends! It'll do you good to remember that!" Christina shivered at Betty's voice.

Betty was still tugging at her hair while Sofia squirmed and fought back trying to reach Betty's hair.

"Daniel is not your friend, Betty!"

"Shut up! How would you know? You don't have any friends and you never will! Who would want a back-stabbing slut for a friend?!" Sofia swung her nails at Betty's face.

"Well, this back-stabbing slut is an editor in chief whose first issue was a success! And she didn't need daddy to help her to the position!"

SMACK. Betty's fist came in contact with Sofia's eye.

"Auch! That's going to leave a mark," an amused voice said behind Christina. She nodded absently. "I never really understood why Daniel is so attached to her but if a woman got into a fist fight for me…" he trailed off wistfully and Christina finally turned around to find Daniel's friend Becks gawking at the scene.

"You little…"

"SHUT UP! How dare you show up here? How dare you mention your first issue?! That article was a bloody lie and you know it! Did you happen to write about how you lied, cheated and manipulated a naïve assistant to convince her boss to propose to you? Did you? NO?! I didn't think so!"

Christina threw the spoon in the trashcan and dragged Becks after her. She didn't know him well but he'll do.

"We have to get them apart now! Before they kill each other!"

"But why? This is fun," he complained.

"If you want to explain Daniel we were here and didn't prevent his assistant's murder be my guest!" She raised an eyebrow at him and he faltered. He was dead for sure if Daniel found out his assistant got a tiny scratch because of him.

"Come on! Let's go!" he agreed overeagerly and pulled at her hand. Christina rolled her eyes.

_Men!_

They both grabbed Betty while the guards grabbed Sofia.

"This isn't over yet! You hear me!?"

"Thisis over! And if you ever come near Daniel again I'll sell you to the cheapest strip club! You hurt him enough already! Stay away!"

Everybody around them had their phones out.

Cliff, Marc's boyfriend was passing by when he had heard the commotion. He sent the video to Marc who showed it to Wilhelmina and sent it to Amanda who showed it to the whole floor.

Nick, Alexis's assistant who was just coming to work sent the video to Kenny, the accountant and to Alexis.

The cleaning lady in the lobby with an out of date cell phone sent a black and white video to her cousin, Mrs Meade's gardener. Claire laughed her head off when she saw it and sent it to her cousin Fanny. The one who lives out of civilisation.

The security guard who Hilda once flirted with sent her a video that she showed it to Ignacio and Justin. That consequently meant Justin's classmates were enjoying too.

Vincent Bianchi got a video from a cute receptionist he once dated.

Basically the whole world saw the video. Well, the whole world except for Daniel who was happily clueless but starting to miss his assistant.

* * *

Becks and Christina dragged a fuming Betty into the elevator and didn't let go of her hands until the door was closed. Betty was breathing deeply.

"Betty, what has gotten into you?" Christina asked.

"You were a real tigress. Grrrrr!" Becks added unnecessarily, earning himself a dirty look from Christina. Betty glared at her captors.

"She pissed me off!" Christina flinched. She wasn't used of Betty cursing. "How dare she? How dare she even come here, much less talk about Daniel?!"

"Calm down Betty."

"I can't wait to see Daniel's expression when he sees that fight," Becks said awed. Betty was at his throat before he could blink.

"Daniel won't find out because you won't tell him! Is that clear?"

"But…"

"Is that clear?" she hissed. If Christina didn't know better she would think Betty is using Mrs Meade's perfume again.

"Fine, fine. I won't tell. But how are you going to prevent him to find out from somebody else?"

"I'll take care of this! You just keep your mouth shut!"

When they arrived at Mode the whole floor was staring at her. Some in disgust but most in awe. Betty just glared at them all. She was in a foul mood. She was just planning on yelling at them to go back to work when she saw Daniel coming towards her leafing through some papers.

_Probably looking for me to tell him what to do with them._

Betty panicked. She knew she must look a mess so she grabbed Christina and Becks's collars and pulled them in a Closet just when Daniel raised his head. He frowned.

"Did you see Betty anywhere, Amanda?"

Amanda bit her lip. She had gathered Betty didn't want Daniel to know about the infamous fight. Now she could either tattletale her out or keep her mouth shut.

"Nope," she shrugged. She didn't know why Betty didn't want Daniel to find out but that was her choice. She might not like her but she liked Sofia even less. She was after all the woman who succeeded in stealing Daniel's heart right in front of her nose. And then she threw away something Amanda craved for. At least Betty would cherish it. Will cherish it when she realizes she has his heart.

Amanda smiled bitterly.

* * *

"Hey!" protested Becks and Christina. Betty ignored them and marched towards the mirror.

"Oh my God!" she shrieked at her appearance. Wild didn't even begin to describe her. She had an ugly scratch on her cheek and another one going down her neck. Her lip was split and her eyes had a mad glint in them. She tried to flatten her hair.

"Do something Christina!"

"What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know! You're a creator! Create!"

Becks edged towards the door. He didn't liked being in a company of two hysterical women.

"And where do you think you're going?" Betty narrowed her eyes.

"I was just…"

"Sit down! I'm not letting you out of my sight!"

"But I already promised I won't say anything."

"I don't want you to be tempted," she said, defiantly raising her chin.

Christina brought some disinfectant and started working on Betty's wounds, first taking of her scarf.

"What's this Betty?" Christina asked. Betty rolled her eyes.

"If you failed to notice, that little snake scratched me!" she said sarcastically.

"Snakes don't have nails and I wasn't talking about that." She whirled Betty towards the mirror again. "I was talking about that!"

She pointed at the infamous mark on Betty's neck. Betty's eyes widened comically.

"An allergy!" she blurted.

"Excuse me?"

"It's an allergy."

"On what?"

_Why does everybody want to know that?_

"On scotch! I drank a lot of scotch on Friday and it appeared on Saturday," she explained quickly, trying to believe it herself.

"There is no such thing as an allergy on scotch," Christina stated dryly.

"It is," Betty insisted.

"It looks more like a hickey to me," Christina said watching her friend closely.

"No."

"Yes," she nodded. She turned to Becks who was curiously listening to their conversation. "Come here and take a look at this!"

"No," Betty protested but Becks was already inspecting her neck.

"It's a hickey," he said smirking.

"No, it isn't!"

"Come on, Betty! Who did this to you, hm? I don't believe it was Henry. You never had a hickey before so I doubt it he gathered the courage on the last day, hm?"

"It's an allergy," Betty gritted through her teeth.

"Betty, we are both reasonable adults here. You can tell me who the horny dog that ravished you was?"

"Christina!" Betty yelled scandalized. Christina grinned and Becks was watching them amused.

"I know it's a hickey. Stop denying it."

"But it isn't. It can't be. I can't remember!"

"What do you mean you can't remember?"

"I told you I had a few scotches after Henry left."

"You were so drunk you can't remember how you got a hickey?"

"For the last time, it's not a hickey!"

"Whatever. And how did you get home?"

"I didn't. Daniel came to get me and brought me to his apartment," she muttered. Christina and Becks's eyes met over her head. Beck wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"So you and Daniel? In his apartment? Alone? And you now have a hickey?" Betty was caught between blushing and glaring at the cheeky man.

"He slept on the couch so stop insinuating those… things."

…_and putting dirty thoughts in my head._

"If you say so. But that doesn't mean you couldn't have gotten that hickey anyway."

_You mean that time he pushed me up the wall- Stop! That didn't happen remember?_

Betty needed them to stop because those incriminating _dreams_ kept coming back to her. And she couldn't have that.

_And I have to stop getting so excited by them._

"You are wrong, Becks. And don't you dare spreading some nasty rumours because I'll have your head. I have connections. Now give me the scarf, Christina!"

"Why do you need a scarf if that's not a hickey?"

"Because just like the two of you everybody else will jump to conclusions too. The scarf? I'm already late. Daniel will be looking for me. I'm usually earlier." She put the scarf around her neck and took a deep breath. "Here we go," she muttered.

Christina and Becks looked after Betty as she approached a relieved looking Daniel.

"They really are an odd pair aren't they?" Christina observed.

"What, she in denial and he sexually frustrated by the sight of her neck?"

"Yeah, that and he love-sick and she oblivious."

Becks shook his head.

"Never would have thought Daniel will go after a girl like her, you know? He was always more of _a size zero, blonde and not so bright type_ kind of a guy. Don't know what has gotten into him."

"It's Betty," Christina sighed. "She crawls under everyone's skin. You'll see if you spend some time with her. Every time you try to do something immoral her disappointed face unwillingly swims in front of your eyes. And according to Daniel's reputation he sees her a lot."

"I can see you really know what you're talking about." He winked at her and Christina rolled her eyes.

"Good morning, Daniel!" Betty's voice was way too cheerful.

"Hi, Betty. Good thing you're here. I was beginning to get worried. Could you find me…? Betty! What's that on your cheek? Did something happen? Are you hurt?"

_Of course something happened. That lying, cheating... Deep breaths, Betty._

"No, no. Everything is alright. It's just a scratch."

"How did you get it?"

_I got into a fight with your ex-fiancée!_

"A cat!" she exclaimed nervously.

"A… cat?"

"Yes. Our cat attacked me."

"I didn't know you have a cat?"

_We don't. Why would we?_

"We just got it."

"Oh. What's its name?"

_Sofia Reyes. _

"Erm… So…nny. Sonny."

_Sonny? Where did you lose all your brain cells, Betty? _

"Sonny?"

"Yes. Because it's so bright and warm you know?"

"Okaaaay. I guess I'll see him tonight at dinner," he shrugged.

Betty could hardly control herself. She wanted to burst into tears. But there was no time for that.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

_Of course I'm not alright!_ _Where am I supposed to get a cat in eight hours? And prevent you to find out about the fight? And in addition do my job? And, as the next issue is coming, read over your editor's letter (which of course I'm not paid for)?_

_Smile and nod, Betty! Don't look as panicked as you are!_

**Author's note: **As promised here are the names of those who figured it out that Betty will meet Sofia: **Xira34**,**didi6**,**Malu Snape Rickman**,**AndromedaAiken** and **Cary44**.

Congratulations! And all who didn't guess right please don't be discouraged. Maybe you will have more luck next time. If I decide to ask another question. And don't forget to tell me what you thought about their meeting!


	8. It’s Queens

**It's Queens**

Betty dreaded the dinner with her family and Daniel. She had this terrible feeling it will turn out to be a disaster. A dinner with Daniel (actually anything with Daniel) usually turned out to be a disaster. But Daniel and her family in one little kitchen?

_I'm doomed! How am I going to keep my family's mouth shut?_

She put her forehead on the car-window, thinking about her day. She was once again exhausted. She had been running around Mode for hours, keeping Daniel happy and his visitors happy, sending unknown people death glares when they dared to mention something unrelated to work and all the while looking normal and happy in front of Daniel.

She only had time for one phone call to her house.

"_Hi, dad!"_

"_Mija? Is that you?"_

"_Yes. I'm just calling to check if you remember you're cooking dinner tonight."_

_Please say you suddenly got a highly contagious disease and are unable to cook!_

"_Of course I remember! I'm not senile yet, Betty!"_

_Damn!__ Not damn that he's not senile of course._

"_Okay. Then you have six hours to find a cat and make it look like it's been at our house for days."_

"_What? What cat?"_

"_Any cat! Just find me a cat!"_

"_Why?"_

"_Because!! Because I told Daniel we have a cat."_

"_Why would you do something like that? Does this have anything to do with the fight you had with that woman?"_

"_How do you know about that?" she shrieked. _

"_Oh, Hilda's friend at Meade security sent her a video."_

_Betty groaned._

_This dinne__r is going to be even worse than I thought!_

"_Great punch by the way, Betty!" Ignacio sounded really excited and proud of his daughter._

"_DAD!"_

"_What? It was. I usually don't support violence but this woman finally got what she deserved!" Betty smiled fondly at her father's support. _

"_Yeah, I think so, too," she said softly but immediately turned serious afterwards. "But listen, papi… You can't mention any of this in front of Daniel. And make sure Hilda and Justin keep quiet."_

"_You didn't tell Daniel? Betty!!"_

"_Dad, this is his ex-fiancée we are talking about! I can't tell him I beat her up! What is he going to think about me?"_

"_You are constantly saying he's not just your boss but also your friend. He'll understand."_

"_Dad, please? I can't. Just do me a favour?" she begged. _

_If begging doesn't work I can still resort to tears. _

"_As you wish, mija. But you won't be able to hide this from Daniel much longer."_

"_Thanks dad! You just make dinner and don't forget about the cat!"_

"Betty, we're here." Betty looked up and noticed they're in front of her house. She put on a fake smile and climbed out of the car. Daniel knew something is up but every time he tried to approach the subject Betty avoided his questions. He watched her nervously biting at her nails while they walked through the front door.

"Aunt Betty!" Justin came barrelling down the stairs, excitedly. Betty froze in her tracks. "You were awesome! We saw…" Hilda suddenly appeared out of nowhere and clapped a hand over Justin's mouth. She smiled at Betty and Daniel brightly.

"Hi Betty! Daniel! You two are just on time. The dinner is almost ready."

Daniel noticed that Hilda is almost as nervous as her sister just more in… Hilda manner. And Justin was obviously just dieing to say something.

"What's going…?" he started to ask but Ignacio cut him off.

"You know this cat adores my pancakes?!" They all looked at the cat in Ignacio's arms. A black cat. Betty felt her heart drop.

"It's black," Daniel stated the obvious. "I thought you said he's bright and warm and that's why you named him Sonny!"

"You named him…?"

Justin's eyes got huge at the sound of this. They finally had a pet and his unstable aunt named it Sonny! _A disaster!_ He wanted to protest on cat's behalf because of this ridiculous name but a hand was once again firmly clapped over his mouth.

"Because of his personality!" Betty practically yelled. "Sonny has a very bright and warm personality," she said stubbornly and awkwardly took a bewildered cat out of her father's hands.

Daniel glanced at her scratches pointedly. Betty squirmed.

"Yeah, well… He was just scared of unfamiliar people. He's actually a real sunshine." She smiled brightly just as _Sonny_ had enough of Betty strangling him and jumped out of her hands, puffing angrily at her. "Oh…"

"Betty! Daniel!" Claire Meade came out of the kitchen with an apron around her neck.

"Mum!"

"Mrs Meade! What are you doing here?" Betty knew she sounded terribly rude but she couldn't imagine how she is going to keep peace with Claire Meade in her house. If trouble followed Daniel all around, then it chased after Claire.

"Oh, you know how I was bored since my children have no time for me?"

"Mum…"

"No, no. It's okay. So, I met Ignacio and he invited me to help him cook dinner." Daniel considered her suspiciously.

"Where exactly did you meet Mr Suarez?" Claire looked around innocently.

"At his front door."

"Mum! You can't just barge into other people's houses because you are bored!"

"It's okay, Daniel. It was no trouble at all."

"See, Daniel?! You just worry for nothing, they don't even have vodka. But that whiskey was good, too." Daniel rolled his eyes but Ignacio just shrugged.

"Can we eat now?" Betty asked exasperated. She really wished she could take off the damn scarf!

"Afraid you're going to attack somebody?" Claire teased.

"Wha…?" Everybody ignored Daniel's attempts to find out what this is all about.

"Come, come to the kitchen. Before Sonny eats all the pancakes!" Ignacio ushered them into the kitchen.

"Betty!" Hilda hissed in her ear. Betty was wary of her maniac grin. "That punch really was great. I'm so proud of you, little sis! You fought hard for your man!"

"Hilda! Daniel is not my… man. We're just-"

"Yada, yada, yada… You should have seen the look on your face!" Hilda smirked and left her alone.

_This is going to be a long night what with Daniel clueless, everybody fighting an urge to spill some juicy gossip, Claire already with half a bottle of whiskey down her throat, Justin dieing to say something and a cat eating pancakes. Ugh!_

Betty would have gladly downed a glass of whiskey herself but she still remembered how it ended a few days ago. _No alcohol for Betty!_

* * *

By the time dinner was over both; Betty and Daniel were eyeing that almost empty bottle of whiskey.

"Yoga wrote me a postcard from Italy," Claire was explaining, mostly to Ignacio and Hilda. "I was thinking of visiting her."

"Who's Yoga?" Daniel asked. He had never heard of his mum's friend, named Yoga. _What kind of name is this anyway?_

"We escaped from prison together."

"A fugitive! Mum! You can't be seen with a fugitive! You'll get thrown in jail again!"

"Relax, Daniel. The police think she's dead."

"Why would they think that?"

"Because I told them so." At that point Daniel would have grabbed the bottle if not for Justin's exclaim from the living room.

"It's on TV! The fight is on TV!!" Betty who was just getting up from her chair, lost her balance and landed on her back on the floor.

"Betty!"

"I'm fine. I'm fine!" she assured them while Daniel helped her on her feet.

"So, what fight's on TV, Justin?"

"Aunt-"

"Boxing!!" Betty yelled, cutting an annoyed Justin off. "It's boxing. Mike Tyson and all that, you know?"

"Mike Tyson? I thought he retired," Daniel said musingly. Betty pushed him back into his chair while he was distracted.

"He did. But then he came back. For one last fight," Betty lied. She didn't even know how she comes up with those things.

"Whoa, Betty! You constantly surprise me. Football the other day and now boxing. Are you coming to watch the fight with me?"

"What? No! And you don't want to see it either."

"Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?" Daniel was trying to get up but that was impossible with Betty hanging onto his arm.

"Because!! Because you don't."

"I do, Betty! Let go!"

"No, no! Come on! Just stay here. Eat some more dinner. Have a pancake! With chocolate syrup! Your favourite." Betty was desperately offering him anything in sight which might have worked if Daniel was not so desperate to find out what is she trying to hide from him. He shook her off his hand.

"I want to see the fight," he stated calmly and turned around.

Betty sat in her chair for a millisecond before whispering fanatically: "The main switch!"

She bolted out of the kitchen and a second later the whole house was in the dark. And chaos.

"Oops!" she said dryly. "I guess the electricity went out. This is Queens. It happens all the time."

Daniel stumbled into the living room just a moment to late.

"Oh, I wish that happened at one of my parties. It would be so much more interesting." Three guesses who said that.

Ignacio rolled his eyes at both, Mrs Meade and Betty's antics and slowly went towards the back of the house where the main switch was, hoping the other residents and visitors of the house won't kill each other in the meantime.

Betty tiptoed pretty fast to the living room so nobody, mainly Daniel, would notice she went back there. She was carefully touching various furniture when she hit something solid. And that something solid grabbed her waist. And she grabbed something solid's, okay Daniel's shirt which resulted in Daniel losing his footing and toppling on the floor, capturing her underneath him. Betty groaned when her back came in contact with the floor. It was nothing like in the movies where everybody just jumped on their feet and continued fighting the bad guy. _It isn't fair!_

"Betty?"

"Yes," she whimpered.

"Are you okay?" He was enthusiastically checking her over. She slapped his hands away from her chest.

"I'm fine! Stop groping me!" The words were fairly familiar to her.

"I'm not groping you!" he exclaimed offended. Betty rolled her eyes in the dark.

"Right. Now get off! And leave my hair alone!"

"I'm not touching your hair."

"Well, something is," she cried out. "Get it off! Get it off!"

"Calm down. It's just your cat. Sonny." Daniel scratched him behind the ears and Sonny immediately forgot all about Betty's hair and started to play with Daniel's fingers. "Hey little guy! You like this don't you? Don't you? Yes you do. Yes you do!"

Betty was frozen in a surprised silence.

_Is this really my boss talking to a cat? Baby-talking to a cat? Well, he did always wish he could have a pet. Wait! When did he tell me this? Why do I__ even know he always wanted a pet?_

Daniel realized what he's doing when he finally noticed Betty's silence. He shut up in the middle of the word and was very happy it was dark so Betty didn't notice his blush.

"Er… I was… just… I… em…" he stuttered.

"Yes?"

"Er…" Betty chuckled.

"That was so sweet, Daniel," she gushed, half mockingly and half serious. She tousled his hair.

"Hey! My hair!" he protested but Betty ignored him.

"I think you are subconsciously displaying your wish to have children."

"Excuse me?" Daniel enquired horrified.

"You heard me!"

"I don't want children!"

"It sure didn't sound like that."

"Maybe a cat but definitely not children."

"You would be good with children."

"I always liked cats."

They were bickering and in the same time having each their own conversation. And all this time none of them remembered to get on their feet.

And then the lights came back on.

Just then did they realize in what a compromising position they are. Daniel finally figured it out that the cushion he's lying on is actually a Betty-shaped cushion. It was suddenly very hot in the room.

Betty was staring up in Daniel's baby blues not being able to look away. She always liked his almost unnaturally blue eyes. They captivated her and made her do anything. One would think they would go darker when he was angry or sad or defeated but then they seemed even brighter than usual. What Betty saw in his eyes right that moment scared and excited her in the same time. She wanted to make her vivid _dreams_ from the other night reality.

Daniel just wanted a repeat of that kiss, that passionate encounter in his apartment. He has been fantasizing about it for the past two days. But he wasn't sure. They were both sober now and more or less sane and if he did something reckless there was no way back.

They were saved by the bell. Or rather by a voice since the bell was not working due to the cut out of a circuit.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? You two should really find yourself a room," the tall smirking blonde remarked.

"Alexis?!" Daniel exclaimed in the same time Betty yelled without consideration: "It's not what it looks like!!"

Alexis eyed their position sceptically which made Betty blush crimson and roll on top of Daniel, in process sharply poking him in the stomach with her knee. He didn't complain much. He realized he should be thankful her knee wasn't a few centimetres lower. Then he would have something to whine about it.

"What are you doing here Alexis?" Daniel asked grumpily while they were both getting up.

"I was invited of course. I'm sorry I'm late."

"You were invited? Alexis!" Daniel groaned. "Mum can't just invite you over to other people's house!!"

"Oh, I talked to Mr Suarez, too. He was really nice to me." She smiled sincerely to Betty. She returned a weak smile. "Obviously he's very proud of you, Betty. And he has every right to be. I mean even I was envious of that punch you-"

"ALEXIS!! Er… Thank you and don't worry because you are late! There are still some pancakes left. Daniel was not able to eat them all because of some… interruptions." She dragged the taller woman behind her, leaving Daniel staring questionably at the cat in his hands.

"Do you know what just happened?"

"Mew!"

"I thought so."

* * *

Betty was just explaining the situation to Alexis (or better yet, Alexis was interrogating her) in shushed tones when the doorbell rang. Betty sighed looking heavenwards.

_Who else did you invite to dinner dad? Who else came to make my life even more miserable?_

Betty guided Alexis to the table where she provided her with enough pancakes for lifetime.

_Everything so she doesn't opens her mouth!_

And Ignacio went to open the door. Betty was for once hoping someone was selling clothespins in all colours. But alas the new guest who joined the loud kitchen was Vincent Bianchi. Not that Betty didn't like him but he was most likely another person hoping to congratulate her on the great punch.

At the moment he stepped into the kitchen she was however saved by Alexis who spluttered angrily as soon as she saw him.

"YOU!!"

_That's right. I almost forgot! There's no love lost between Alex or rather Alexis Meade and Vincent Bianchi._

Vincent's eyes widened comically.

"Alex Meade!" he snarled.

"It's Alexis!" she yelled shrilly.

"Oh, that's right! You went and turned yourself into a woman. Another rich boy's caprice!"

"It's not a caprice! That's what I was meant to be!"

_Oh-oh. He's obviously getting under her skin. She usually just smirks and lets everybody think what they want to._

"Maybe you're right. You always were a bitch!" he scoffed.

"You don't know what you are talking about! You know nothing about me! What are you doing here anyway?"

"I came to visit my friend." He gestured to Betty. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I was invited," she responded smugly.

"Well I came to show Betty some photographs."

"You mean those second-rate smears!"

"Second-rate?" he cried indignantly. "Let me tell you I'm the best in my field! And I became the best without my family name or some dramatic sex-change to attract attention!"

"The best? Don't make me laugh! I haven't seen your picture in any of the magazines for months."

"That's because I'm preparing my own exhibition. And what are you doing? Sitting in your daddy's chair?!"

Betty was starting to feel a headache coming. But the others obviously had no such problems. Actually everybody seemed to be enjoying the show. It seemed that the only thing missing was popcorn. It annoyed Betty exceedingly.

"What the hell is going on here?" Daniel interrupted the bickering. Betty smiled gratefully.

"He called me a bitch!" Alexis exclaimed.

"She said I'm a second-rate photographer!"

"Pig!"

"Harpy!"

"Enough!" Daniel yelled.

"She started it!"

"I did not! He-"

"SHUT UP!" Now that was Betty in her most annoying high-pitched voice. Everybody cringed.

"Now, Vincent," Daniel started calmly, stroking Sonny's fur. "Why exactly are you here for?"

"I came to show Betty some pictures for my exhibition," he said pointedly. "She has a good eye."

"Why don't you find yourself your own girl? Assistant." He covered his slip calmly, without panic, like he didn't even really notice it. Betty turned her head towards him so fast; she knew her neck is going to be painful for the next couple of weeks. Finally gathering her wits enough to break the silence, she addressed Vincent.

"Don't mind him, Vincent. He's just in a bad temper because he missed The Mike Tyson fight. It's not like the cut out of circuit was my fault!" Most of the people in the kitchen raised their eyebrows at her.

"I'm not in a bad temper," he mumbled.

Vincent looked confused at first but then he smirked.

"Mike Tyson? So you named yourself Mi-"

_There we go again. Ignoring people and making them confused long enough to explain the situation._

"I see you heard about Tyson's last fight."

"So, he knows what's going on, too? I know something is wrong. And they all know. Why don't I know?" Daniel yelled. Betty gulped.

"Daniel! What are you on about? There is nothing going on! Absolutely nothing!"

_I'm just trying to prevent you to find out I got in__to a fist fight with a woman you once wanted to marry._

"You're lying!! I know you are!! But fine if you don't trust me enough to tell me! I'm leaving!"

"Daniel…" she groaned.

"The cat, Daniel!" Ignacio called after him. He stopped.

"What?"

_I will most probably have to give you my younger daughter in the near future but the cat stays with me._

The Suarez family got strangely attached to the black cat with hideous name in those few hours and was not going to give it up that easily. Especially after all the trouble Hilda and Justin went through to steal it from the cat-lady down the street. It's not like she's going to miss one little kitty.

And Sonny loved everybody, too. Well, everybody except Betty.

Ignacio looked pointedly at the cat and Daniel just then realized he's still holding it.

"Oh."

He walked back and hesitantly returned it to Ignacio, a pout threatening to break out on his face. Betty was just waiting for him to do something rash but he just glanced at them superiorly and went out again. He was back in a few seconds to pick up a plate of remaining pancakes, mumbling something about them being his in the first place.

"Daniel…" Betty called softly after him but he ignored her. She rolled her eyes irritably and threw the itchy scarf off her neck in a fit of anger. She realized her mistake at once. Everybody was staring at her with wide eyes and some with crazy grins.

_Here goes the __custom hickey-allergy fight again._

_Didn't I say in the beginning that this dinner is going to be a disaster?_

**Author's note: **My dear readers! I hope you are not too upset about delay or are at least satisfied with the chapter and will therefore forgive my absence.

And because I know how much you like to play games with me (okay I like to play games) here is another question for you. And remember all those who get it right will be mentioned in my next chapter… So here it goes…

**WHO WILL ****INTENTIONALLY OR UNINTENTIONALLY TELL DANIEL THE TRUTH?**


	9. Kid the penguins

**Author's note: **Yes, I know! You want to kill me! But if you do that, you'll never read the end of the story! So, let's say, you and me all hope the next chapter will not take that long! Damn, I'm lazy!

**Kid the penguins**

_And my week of doom continues,_ Betty sighed mentally after Nick told her Alexis wants to talk to her in her office. _For the third time that day._ At first she accosted her after she managed to sneak through the lobby, thankfully not meeting certain someone. Alexis grabbed her unsuspectedly and dragged her to her office where she proceeded to rant about why she hated Vincent Bianchi.

Betty managed to get a word in after half an hour and practically ran out of her office, yelling something about work.

But not for long. She was back an hour later for a repeat of previous half hour. Betty didn't have much hope that the third time is going to be any different. Except if she finally strangled Alexis.

_Not that far off! _

_Doesn't she have her own assistant to torture? I have enough work with Daniel._

"Alexis?"

"Betty! Hi! Come in! Have a sit!" Betty sat down and prepared to tune her out. It wasn't as if she had anything to do. Daniel was not speaking to her (even got his own coffee) and Christina was nowhere to find.

"Betty, I wanted to talk to you about that man Bianchi."

_Oh, really? And I thought we're going to talk about my nonexistent child's first tooth … I have no idea where that came from!_

"Is he your friend?"

_Are you jealous?_

"Well-"

"Because there is so many things you don't know about him…!"

_Like what? He crossed the road incorrectly when he was seven?_

"… I know he seems charming …"

_Yes._

"… and noble …"

_Very._

"… and nice …"

_The nicest I ever met._

"… but …"

_Here we go. Heard it before. Don't remember a thing._

Just as her lids were starting to drop heavily, Nick barged into the office looking all excited.

"Amanda called! Daniel is talking to the little Sandwich guy! Apparently they're looking at the Sandwich guy's phone. This is bound to get interesting."

He bolted out to get the first row-sits while the women stared at each other. One smirking and the other one gulping nervously and then running after Nick with every intention of preventing the show.

* * *

Daniel never realized how dreadfully boring his job is without Betty. There was nobody to annoy him, nobody to irritate, nobody to cheer him up, nobody to control him or his work, nobody to talk to, nobody to bring him coffee and nobody to just be there. He missed her awfully.

There was also nobody to bring him lunch and he wasn't in a mood to go out, so he rummaged trough Betty's drawer and found the Sandwich guy's phone number.

And then he was waiting for his lunch. Bored again. He went for a walk to Amanda's desk. And around Amanda's desk. And around again.

"Not him! His assistant!" somebody yelled behind his back. He looked over his shoulder and found three girls, probably models since they weren't having lunch, gossiping about somebody. He crouched behind the counter and eavesdropped to the conversation. It sounded interesting although he didn't know who they are talking about.

"His assistant has a hickey?!"

"Yes! That scruffy one who is always ordering around."

"Really? Who gave it to her?"

"Doesn't she have a boyfriend in accounting?"

"Henry? No, he left a few days ago."

_Henry? Are they talking about Betty? Betty has a hickey? __Who dares to give hickey to my Betty?_

"What about that photographer? He talked only to her? Never spared us a glance!"

_I'm going to kill him!_

"No it wasn't Bianchi! You two are so stupid! It was him!"

"Who?"

"You know, him!"

"The Sandwich guy?"

_I'm going to break his ribs!_

"Noooo."

Just then the elevator dinged and the girls moved.

_Damn! How am I ever going to find out who gave Betty a hickey? _

_Well I could ask the girls? Or Betty?_

_Noooo. _

_The girls._

"Daniel? I brought you your sandwich. What are you doing down there?"

Daniel looked up from his crouching position to find Gio with his sandwich above his head.

"Eavesdropping. Did you give Betty a hickey?" he blurted out. Gio looked at him strangely.

"Me? Of course not! Didn't you?"

"Me? Are you insane? When would I …?"

_Oh, my god! Was it really me?__ Does she remember?_

"I don't know why you are still pretending! That fight yesterday was a dead give-away!"

"What fight?" Daniel asked confused.

"What fight?! You know between Betty and …" Gio stopped talking.

_I guess not everybody saw the fight! There is still Daniel Meade and the penguins on Antarctica! _

"Ooooohhh…"

"Ooooohhh, what?" Daniel snapped.

"Nothing. Never mind. Here's your sandwich. Bye!"

"Oh no! You don't!" Daniel grabbed him by his collar. "Tell me what's going on! Now!"

Gio usually thought about Daniel as of a rich pansy-boy but when it came to Betty he could be extremely violent and dangerous looking.

"Really Daniel, I don't think is my place to tell you anything. If Betty hasn't told you yet-"

"And she is obviously not planning to! Why? What could be so bad that she can't tell me? Me? I am usually the screw-up and she fixes my mess! And that one time when she read someone else's story as her own, did I abandon her? Fired her? Do I still hold a grudge or something? Why can't she trust me?"

"She read someone else's story as her own?"

"By accident!" Daniel defended her.

"How can you read-"

"Will you just drop it! Tell me what is going on? Why did she tell you and everyone else and not me?!"

"She didn't tell me!"

"She didn't? Then how do you know?"

"A friend sent me a video."

_Damn, I shouldn't have said that!_

"A video? Show it to me!"

"I really don't think that's- Hey!! That's stealing! Give me back my phone!"

But Daniel had no intention to listen to the Sandwich guy. He was finally going to find out what the hell is going on!

And Gio was not going to pull the phone out of his hands. Daniel Meade was bigger than him after all!

_There go my chances with Betty._

* * *

Amanda loved a good drama. Especially love drama. Love drama at work. It made her day.

So, when she heard Daniel and Gio's conversation she was ecstatic. The only thing missing was Betty's presence. But she couldn't be there before Daniel saw the video. She had to call Betty at the right moment. And Amanda's timing was perfect. Years of experience does that to you.

Just as Daniel's face was getting whiter and the video was coming to the end, Betty came sprinting down the hall. Her face was flushed and sweaty by the time she leaped over Amanda's counter and landed on Daniel, successfully knocking the phone out of his hands. Only when she saw the phone scattered in pieces, she could breathe peacefully. She tiredly put her forehead on something soft.

Daniel had the wind knocked out of him when something landed heavily on his chest and in process pushed him to the ground.

_Ow. _

He groaned and pushed the mass of brown hair out of his face. The face belonging to the mentioned hair was hidden in his shirt.

"Betty," he stated. She looked up at him sheepishly. "Are you now trying to kill me too?" he asked angrily. Her face fell.

"Sorry," she squeaked.

No, he was not angry because she almost made him level with the ground (no matter how painful it was).

_Actually, it's quite nice to lie underneath her. Again. It seems to happen a lot these days. Who am I to complain about it?_

Nor was he angry because of what he saw on the tape.

_That was a great punch! No wonder she calls herself Mike Tyson!_

There was just one little thing that bothered him to death.

_And __we are going to solve this now!_

Daniel picked himself up and then helped Betty to her feet with a little more force than needed. Just enough that she landed in his arms. Betty wanted to jump away as quickly as possible to get away from his muscular smell and hurt in those baby blues, but Daniel had other plans.

"My office! Now!" Betty looked at him with her big brown eyes and Daniel silently begged her to stop.

"I have work to do," she tried.

"As far as I remember I'm still your boss. I tell you when to work and what to do!" he gritted through his teeth.

Of course Daniel was lying to himself and he knew it, too!

_Yeah, right! Not even the cleaning lady would believe that! __Betty has been ordering me and everyone else around since she first stepped foot into this building! You can kid the penguins, Daniel Meade!_

"I- I- have to go to the bathroom," she stuttered.

"Stop trying to break away, Betty. We're going to talk! Now! And if you won't come willingly, I will carry you to my office!"

She looked at him wide-eyed, biting at her lip anxiously.

_Do not look at her, Daniel! Do not look into her eyes! Do not look at her lips! Do not look at her at all! You can't kiss her here! You can't rip her clothes off her here! Nowhere, actually!_

"You wouldn't dare!" she challenged him.

* * *

Alexis stood by the side watching the show among many other spectators. Nobody dared to utter a sound for fear of missing something out or being noticed and sent back to work where they were supposed to be anyway.

She glanced at Gio who looked pretty miserable. She wasn't sure if that was because of his ruined phone or because the poor guy obviously realised he's competing against Daniel Meade for a woman.

_Who wouldn't be miserable?_

Alexis liked Betty and that by itself was saying something because Alexis didn't like many people. Especially women.

She hated powerful and overconfident women who think they control the world, like Wilhelmina.

She hated blond gold-diggers who spent all of their pathetic pay check for overpriced pairs of shoes in order to catch a filthy rich husband, like Amanda.

And she hated arrogant bitches who pretended to be simple and modest girls, unchanged by the fame, like Sofia Reyes.

Betty was different. She really was simple and modest girl from Queens and Alexis couldn't imagine her any different.

_That's the girl my brother needs. Practical and down to earth, capable of solving any issue. _

Alexis was watching their staring contest with interest. She knew Betty is in big trouble the moment she said those words: _"You wouldn't dare!"_ Daniel didn't like to be dared. And he had a dangerous gleam in his blue eyes.

"Try me!"

_Oh, oh. Either run or go with him Betty!_

But surprisingly Betty had other plans. Or maybe she was just contemplating what to do. Either way, Alexis was certain her brother's anger was melting away at the sight of her guilt-ridden wide-eyed look.

Alexis wondered if Betty really was that naïve or she actually knew what she was doing. She got a strange feeling she underestimated the vibrant girl.

When Betty bit at her lower lip, Daniel finally had enough. He obviously couldn't look at her eyes anymore so he did the unthinkable and threw her over his shoulder in blink of an eye. Even Alexis was surprised by the sudden movement.

Betty gasped loudly before she started to scream.

_And boy, can she scream. _

"DANIEEEEEEEEEEEELLLL!! What do you think you're doing?! Put me down this instant! Daniel!! And what are you looking at? Don't you have work to do?"

_Wow! When she's pissed, she's pissed!_

And with one last: _"DANIEEEEELLL!!"_ the door of Daniel's office was banged shut and the curtains were pulled over.

For one sacred moment everything was quiet and then the gossip chain started.

Alexis glanced at her mother across the room and was met with a sly smile at her lips. Their eyes met and Alexis couldn't help but silently agree. Her mother was obviously already planning the wedding for her son.

_Daniel and Betty? Playboy extraordinaire and life-saving assistant? Unexpected but nothing would make more sense. Daniel would be lost without her anyway._

Alexis hurried after her mother.

_After all, I have to be there when she starts choosing the bridesmaid dresses. I don't want to end up in pink!_

**Author's note:** I can't believe nobody guessed who the mysterious person is! But there was some nice tries! You were mostly convinced that Betty is going to do the right thing! You almost changed my mind but then the story wouldn't go the way I imagined it!

**NEXT:** The conversation between Betty and Daniel…


End file.
